Dragon's Fire
by MossInfestedDragon00
Summary: During a routine supply run Whitebeard Pirates Ace and Thatch find themselves in a rather scaly situation and they could not have foreseen the events that followed. Warning: this has slash. DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece, it came from the mind of Oda-sensei. 1st story
1. Chapter 1

When Ace and Thatch finished their respective runs in Alabasta and wished for a break in the monotony, they didn't quite expect _this_.

The serpentine creature curls protectively around the green haired swordsman, claw tipped reptilian feet over the unconscious man's torso, maw pulled back in a snarl showing shark like teeth with longer than normal serrated canines – a warning for him and Thatch for getting too close and to stay back. A plea for them to not harm the pair and that pained them more than any seastone bullet ever will. The fact that this emancipated creature no larger than a Shetland pony is practically, pleadingly, trying to keep their attention focused on it to help the dying human escape from _them_ even though the swordsman is now barely semi-conscious… It hurt.

"Hey hey," Ace started off, raising his hands slowly and calmly trying to not startle the creature. His attempt failed as when he took a step forward the wary gaze only hardened and the creature's neck visibly tensed. Breathing out slowly, realising that this would take a while – time that the green haired man could not really afford – Ace tried again. "Easy there little fella," he said as he took a single step.

… Wrong thing to say apparently as a plume of flames erupted from the maw of the creature. " _Shit_!" Thatch yelped as he leapt out of the way. Ace narrowed his eyes as the flames sped towards him and calmly reached out a hand. The fire instantly melded with his palm as he held it skywards and he looked past it towards the dragon-like beast. "See?" Ace said softly. "We're a bit the same. And we –" he gestured to Thatch and himself with his free hand – "want to help you." The creature is looking between them and the controlled flames. Sensing an opportunity, Ace took another step forward after making the fire glow brighter. " _Help._ " He stressed the word as Thatch stepped back up beside him. The mythical creature must have seen something in them as it looked at the swordsman before it returned its eyes to the pair.

Ace dared to advance and this time was only greeted by the creature curling tighter around the man and maintaining an alert and guarded stare. Thatch remained close to his shoulder. About a metre away from the man and creature duo they were stopped by a low growl. The swordsman was trying to stir and the dragon was holding him still. Almost as if it was trying to prevent his injuries from becoming worse. Ace frowned as he took it in and edged forward once more.

The dragon suddenly snarled at him and Thatch, making them freeze. "Easy, remember we just want to help you," Ace replied gently to the fierce nature as he slid his foot through the sand closer to them. That was when the dragon roared – a tremendous primal sound that announced it was ready to fight if need be, in order to protect its companion. From _them_. It felt as if its fangs had pierced them. _Again_. It hurt.

What had made it react? Ace followed its line of sight, through the swing of its head, the beast's unsettling large silver eyes with the red elliptical pupil always focused on…him? No…his flaming fist. Realisation dawned, the protective behaviour making sense as he got closer with an open flame. He hastily dispersed the fire. "Whoa, I'm sorry ok? I didn't mean anything – I wasn't going to use it on him," the man with the moniker Fire Fist hastily explained as his namesake got him into trouble. _Again_.

The injured man grunted as his hand closed on one of his sword hilts, clearly struggling to focus on the them.

The seconds dragged by as the standoff between hopeful rescuers and the tense exhausted duo stretched the air thin. Then the dragon seemed to sag at his words and the extinguishing of Ace's flames. The swordsman's grip slackened, but it was unsure if it was due to trust being gained or blood loss.

The two Whitebeard Pirates commanders were finally near enough to the dragon and man to slowly kneel and assess their condition. Their eyes immediately went to the swordsman's wound – a severe burn mark on his left side that had melted the skin around it. Ace's attention returned to the creature just as one last growl emitted from the dragon's throat, its heavy and heartbreakingly sorrowful pleading gaze piercing through them once more before it closed its eyes and promptly passed out. "Shit!" Ace exclaimed, going to move near to its head, but was stopped by a guttural growl forced through the green haired man's lips. "D-don't touch h-him…" The weak excuse for a threat was accompanied by him trying (and failing) to draw one of his three swords. Curious. Him only managing to unsheathe a third of the blade. Thatch thankfully stepped in, a heavy yet firm and gentle hand holding the one on the sword still. "Your animal let us get this close, he knew we wanted to help. Let us, otherwise neither of you will survive."

A harsh exhale was his response. "He i-is..n't…" Then he too was unconscious. Thatch frowned and hurriedly pressed down on the wound to slow the flow of blood.

Ace, having been freed to examine the creature, scooted to its head and lifted an eyelid tentatively. If it wasn't fully unconscious this dragon could tear him apart if there wasn't enough warning. The eye could have been described as bloodshot and was glazed over. Completely out cold.

"Let's get them back to the ship."


	2. Dragon's Identity

**Hey there dear readers! the next chapter will take a little longer to upload, so to apologise I give you this lovely long chapter as an apology. (Sopleasedontkillme)*hides behind bed* hope you enjoy and reviews are always welcome. reviews. NOT Flames.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own one piece (I'm not that cool) eiichiro Oda does. I only own the plot.**

 **ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

 **Sanji's P.O.V**

Something was rough underneath my body. Why was there…? Oh right, I was in my smaller form. Meaning scales. But on what? It was definitely not the sand from earlier… I blearily opened my eyes. What was going on?

The blue of the sky and something brown came into view. Blinking a few times to sweep the blurriness out of my vision helped and the brown thing that I was on turned out to be wood. Then I heard voices. It was just a murmur of noise, but it was a large group. As my hearing sharpened I heard a multitude of breaths and some nearby heartbeats. In fact, they were _very_ close.

"I don't believe so Oyaji."

That voice stood out above the rest as the volume died down. It was…familiar somehow.

It didn't matter though. We were in an unfamiliar place with an unknown group. Even if I appeared to somehow recognise one voice that did not beat the number of others. I slowly shifted my head around so I could see exactly how many were there.

There was eighteen of them. Fucking fantastic. We couldn't fight them all in our state.

They had a wide range of sizes. The crowd seemed to be facing a scarred man in a chair. So he was the boss. My eyes narrowed and my scales scraped on the wood as I tried to see who he was talking to.

A person with yellow hair turned his head to face me. He looked drowsy I noted. He was also looking right at my open eyes. I tensed, but he only turned fully around and called over his shoulder. "Ace! Your animal is awake yoi."

I growled and surged to my feet when all of them turned. My rumbling kept them at bay but then a large one with a long beard stepped aside to reveal one of the smallest men there walking towards me. A hat, beads…

"Hey there little fella," he said.

It all came flashing back. Running, finally escaping that place with Marimo, hiding, but we were injured so badly, and shortly afterwards those people showing up promising help – one of them this guy – and then nothing else. But he…he had come to us with fire, and he was already burned. I curled over, my foot going to his chest.

 _Click._

I glanced down… There was only wood. No. Nonono where was he?! I spun around, stood up on my hind legs, looking frantically. Where was he?! He wasn't even near the boss. He… He was gone.

They…had taken him. I focused back on the man with the hat. He had taken him from me. My jaw opened. He would pay.

I lunged and pinned him to the wood, rearing my head back and roaring. A fragile threat. To my surprise he only grunted and raised a fist that burst into flames. "Easy – you're looking for your friend right?"

My maw closed.

He smiled at me. "I can tell you what happened to him."

The smile was still there, and at that promise I removed my claws as if he had burned me.

He sat up and only then did I notice that his other hand was outstretched to ward off the other seventeen people who had surrounded me. Well shit. I sat and shivered as a wave of coldness crashed down on me.

"Ace" had a small frown now. "Ok, we took your friend in for treatment and our doctor is dealing with him currently. I would take you to see him, but, well, you're a bit too big for the infirmary fella."

His smile changed slightly, but I didn't care to figure out how. I closed my eyes and focused within myself.

Zoro's going to kill me for this.

It hurt. All my injuries began screaming at me and when my transformation was complete I couldn't see. Even with my eyes open it was a blended mess of colours and I couldn't stop shaking. It was so _cold_.

Something was dropped on me and I clutched at it; it held the warmth I so desperately needed. Someone adjusted it around me, a soothing voice accompanying the actions. Eventually after a shit-load of blinking I could see the fire guy was the person.

My breathing quickened as I noticed how close he was and my eye darted around taking in all the figures surrounding me. Shit!

"Hey –"

I cut him off in my panic. "Zoro! Zoro, where is he?!" I spat at him.

He leant back and at no forthcoming answer I felt my eyes sting. "Where is he?!" I gasped out again, my voice hoarse. I wondered if it was from lack of use or from the fact that the last time I used it I was screaming. I met the gaze of every person for a second before returning to the one in front of me. To my horror I felt my lip begin to tremble and my eyes sting even fiercer. I ducked my head and curled in on myself. Shitty tears. "Please," I whimpered, "He's the only one I have left."

Silence. Then, "I'll take you to the infirmary."

My head shot up. The fire guy was smiling again. I nodded and he stood. I struggled not to react every time I walked by someone and to not flinch away from the man leading me to Zoro.

* * *

(Earlier.)

It was a struggle getting the man and beast pair back to the ship. Weight wasn't an issue surprisingly: the dragon was exceedingly light for its size, the only problem with it was its bulk. The man was heavier than the creature and the problem with him was ensuring he didn't bleed out. Somehow, they managed.

"Marco!" Ace yelled, seeing him on deck.

The pineapple head turned. "Ace, what have you got yourself into yoi? Hold on down there."

Soon enough the dragon was lying on the deck by the mast and the man was taken to the infirmary. So serious was the situation that none could find it in themselves to laugh at Luffy's yell of "So cool!" towards the creature after the man was taken away.

"Son, what is the meaning of this?" Whitebeard asked from his chair.

"Oyaji, Thatch and I discovered these two in the desert. As you could see the man has a severe injury and this creature here was with him. After we managed to reassure it that we would not harm it or its companion it fell unconscious and we brought them both here. The man tried to stay awake but couldn't."

Whitebeard's attention travelled to the dragon and back to Ace. "What is this?"

Ace rubbed the back of his head. "I think it's a dragon like creature Oyaji – it breathed fire at Thatch and I."

The other division commanders shifted at this and Whitebeard leant forward. "Does that make it a threat?"

"I don't believe so Oyaji."

Marco's voice interrupted what Whitebeard was going to ask next. "Ace! Your animal is awake yoi," he called as he turned. Ace turned with him but could not see due to Atmos' bulk. They all heard the growl though and he and Thatch recognised it as a defensive warning. "Hey Atmos let me by," Ace demanded.

Passage and clear line of sight was granted and Ace slowly walked forward. "Hey there little fella."

For a few seconds the dragon was frozen and then its claws clicked sharply on the deck as it curled. What followed was panic as the beast span around and stood up vertically as it looked for something. Or some _one_ Ace realised. He also recognised when the fear turned into anger and let the infuriated creature tackle and pin him as it desperately needed an outlet otherwise the crew would need to intervene. Which they were planning to anyway in defense of him. He grunted as he hit the wood and hurriedly lit his fist and held it up, shooting his other hand out to halt any movements of the others. Even Whitebeard had stood and he eventually nodded after what felt like an age, approving Ace's decision. The flame had the desired effect of drawing the beast's attention as it had the first time.

Ace's eyes narrowed at the sheer emotion expressed in the silver eyes. Desperation, fear, anger, sadness and something else that he currently could not identify. "Easy – you're looking for your friend right?" Ace asked a bit breathlessly.

Its maw closed.

Glad that his hunch had been correct that the dragon was not a mindless beast and hoping to ease some of the raw emotions in the dragon's expression, Ace smiled. "I can tell you what happened to him."

The claws were removed from him so quickly he didn't even process it immediately and he frowned lightly at the shiver the dragon made. Being one himself he knew that creatures of fire shouldn't ever be cold enough to shiver. "Ok, we took your friend in for treatment and our doctor is dealing with him currently. I would take you to see him, but, well, you're a bit too big for the infirmary fella." His smile turned apologetic.

Then everyone who was on deck could not stop their lips from parting when the creature with scales a mix of blue and silver with a red undertone, double row of giant serrated teeth, stripes of red and yellow scales going down his spine and fin-like ears transformed into a boy. A boy with ribs you could play on with a stick he was so skin and bones. The second thing Ace took in about his appearance was that the boy was stark naked. Thatch threw him a blanket and he dropped it over the near-convulsing kid. "Shh, easy kid you're ok," he hushed while fixing the drape.

The boy was in a daze, staring blankly ahead, but when Ace saw his one visible eye refocus on his figure he relaxed slightly but still wore a worried frown. "Hey –"

The boy cut him off by spitting out, "Zoro! Zoro, where is he?!"

Ace leant back in surprise that this kid still had some fire left in him. However, he seemed to panic at the silence and his eye flitted around everyone. "Where is he?!" he spat again. And to Ace's and his surrounding officer's pain, his eyes began to water and he ducked his head, shoulders shaking even more than the rest of his body as he cried.

Ace flung his gaze to Whitebeard, silently seeking for an answer. His adoptive Father nodded and with no hesitation, he said "I'll take you to the infirmary." Seeing his head shoot up, Ace smiled in an attempt of reassurance, but it was thinner than normal due to the salty water flowing down the kid's face. A fast nod was his answer, and Ace stood, waiting to see if the boy could stand on his own. To all of their further surprise, he stands on stable legs and follows Ace in the direction of the infirmary. All of them notice how he tenses as they pass by every person.

And all of them wonder, what on earth had happened to the kid and more importantly, what was he?


	3. Shocking Revelation

**I know I said that I said that this chapter will be longer but I realised that the story (and cliff-hanger) will have little impact on the rest, so please enjoy!**

 **Shout out for the amazing Charizgrovsion who made this story possible with her beta-ing.**

* * *

Ace was looking at the blond currently walking beside him – painfully shuffling more like – both to observe him and to catch him when he trips.

For the fourth time.

It was frustrating how he didn't accept any help, or even let him touch him for that matter. The night watch blanket Thatch placed on his shoulders stopped just before the man's skinny knees. It was obvious that both men had been through terrible hardship and it made Ace feel uneasy. After all, they didn't seem much older than Luffy.

Just as Ace was going to start a conversation to break the awkward silence the blond boy beat him to it.

"Who are you?" the kid asked, his voice seemed rougher than before and Ace just realised that he has been stressed out since he woke up. Mentally cursing himself for his stupidity Ace stopped walking and used all the lessons Makino taught him, reaching out a hand, Ace introduces himself.

"My name is Portgas D. Ace, Second Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, pleasure to meet you. And you are?" Ace didn't let it show how nervous he was, thanks to the excellent poker face that he possesses, but he couldn't deny that the blond wouldn't take his hand and with it an offer to help. When the young man seemed unsure of whether or not to trust him Ace pressed on feeling a vague sense of Deja-vu.

"Trust me, no-one on this ship will do you any harm," Ace said, voice soft and reassuring.

The man hesitantly took his hand in a firm grip, contrasting harshly with his frail appearance and took a breath.

"My name is Zero -" the boy – Zero – seemed to snarl at himself, making Ace flinch in surprise but he still kept his grip with the kid.

"S-Sa-Sanji. My name is S-Sanji."

Ace mentally frowned at the difficulty for the blond to say his name, wondering why he gave a different name first. But just then he saw a mark under the blanket and his blood tuned cold.

No. _No_.

On the kid's left side was a brand of a thick circle with four inverted triangles at the four sides, each side represented one of the blues. the North and East triangle were facing outwards.

The boy lets go of his hand and stares over Ace's shoulder, seemingly oblivious to the pirate's scrutiny. "Can you take me to him now? Please?"

Ace shakes himself out of his short, horrified stupor and nods. "Of course." In the process of turning back around to lead the way however, Ace notices the kid pull the blanket more firmly around himself, hiding the mark. So he had noticed Ace's reaction. Feeling guilty but not knowing what to say to rectify the situation, Ace continued forward.

His mind was in turmoil though. For someone to even be _able_ to do that to just a _kid_. It was revolting. Ace felt sick. Knowing what that particular brand meant; what it represented.

It was a brand of a fighting slave.


	4. Strange in the Green

**The * in the middle is to mean that the POV has changed, it's still in the first person and still reads beautifully - to me anyway - and I hope you like this treat and the surprise in this chapter that hopefully you weren't expecting. This chapter contains strong language and a small description of injuries. If this makes you squeamish then press the back button.**

 **A guest mentioned to me that this doesn't follow canon and if you are reading this dear guest then you are right! While this fanfiction follows canon to an extent (Devil fruits, Zeff to a point, Zoro's backstory and pirates' vs marines) there are some changes.**

 **Thar be dragons of course but this chapter will give some more information.**

 **Shout out to my wonderful beta who makes my work betta,** ** _Charizgrovsion_** **and if you like the animated series of Spiderman but didn't like the fact that he was cured from mutantism then her fanfiction** ** _Mutated Spider-Man_** **is the one for you!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or its characters, I'm not that cool.**

* * *

Being the head doctor of the Whitebeard Pirates, Doctor Kurietia Shinku thought that she had seen it all, but apparently there is always some shit that manages to trump the previous freak injury or weird patient.

Such is the case of her new patient.

This man should be dead with the injury to his neck alone, the deep cut having blue skin that was cool to the touch, burning from the inside and charring on the surrounding skin outside. His burn marks are also strange as there is evidence of frozen skin. It didn't seem to be causing the man any pain when she prodded it and took a sample for the know-it-all bastards that call themselves scientists.

Looking at the man's face, she notices more abnormalities and wonders if the black tint to the sides of his hair and fingers were signs of frostbite. It would explain the blue from the neck wound but not the warm skin. How the fuck would he get frostbite in Alabasta anyway? Shinku quickly checks his blood pressure and temperature but is still at a loss from the results.

Using different equipment each time Doctor Kurieita Shinku checks the strange green haired man's vitals for three times, confused at the results that keep repeating.

Sliding her hands through his hair to find any rotten skin, she flinches at a sharp pain on her palm and is startled to find that her hand had been cut in the mess of long green hair. Curious, she moved the man's hair and gasped at the horns. Having some experience with non-humans, she tried to narrow it down to what species he wasn't: not a succubus – too much muscle, not a golem – his hair is green and his skin was flesh, not a half-orc she concluded after checking his teeth – they were normal, not a dragon – they were extinct.

Taking his tattered shirt off, she gasps at the markings adorning his chest – black and Celtic, running over his shoulders. Her eyes drawn to the haphazardly placed bandages, she removes them, scowling at the rushed way they were applied, and stares at the large burn adorning the man's right side.

At the groan of pain the man emits she gathers the necessary medical supplies (including _clean_ bandages of course) with all traces of surprise masked by professionalism. Checking his ribs, she found that three are broken and one is fractured meaning he is in serious danger of a punctured lung. She shook her head and frowned at the gasping he made, knowing that she hadn't jostled his ribs in any way. Quickly cleaning the wound and ordering a bowl of lukewarm water from a nurse standing outside, she fetches a bottle of antiseptic and pours a generous amount into the water the nurse had delivered. Not knowing what he was, she made sure to use a generic kind.

At the first wipe of the wound the green haired man woke with a gasp of pain and snapped an arm out to her neck. Swiftly standing up he pins her to the wall next to the bed. "Where am I?" he snarls, voice rough. Looking around, he seems to notice something. "And where's Zero?"

"Wh-who?" Shinku gasps out, briefly forgetting what predicament she's in in favour of inward death threats at the Whitebeard pirates. If they didn't let a man receive medical attention in place of interrogation… Again.

With a fierce anger in her eyes, she grabs the man's hand on her neck and pulls herself up, trying to stop the uncomfortable pressure on her throat. "There was another person with you?! I swear if he was injured and they didn't bring him in I'm castrating the lot of them!"

The strange man looks faintly disturbed, shifting around uncomfortably and moving his pelvis away from the insane redhead.

Before Zoro could reply, they heard the door open and Zoro looks in that direction. After seeing Sanji with another man he quickly drops the woman and rushes to the blond, limping slightly and favouring his left side. Enveloping the blond in a hug but keeping his eyes trained on the other man who seems unaffected by his glare, Zoro seems completely unaffected by the fact that Sanji is naked save for a blanket. He notices something else a second after that he failed to in the relief of seeing his brother in all but blood. Tensing Zoro backs up but keeps his hands on Sanji's shoulders, finding himself looking into a sheepish blue eye. "You turned back?" he growls threateningly, " _Injured_?"

Before Sanji could reply they hear a gasp from the doctor.

Turning to the redhead Zoro sees a look of such horror it was almost tangible in the air, her face pale and her eyes haunted. Zoro is confused at the extreme reaction until he notices that his shirt fell off when he pushed the woman into the wall.

On the green haired man's left shoulder blade there is a thick branded circle and four inverted triangles at the four sides, each side representing one of the blues. The East triangle is facing outwards.

Before anything could be said Zoro tastes copper on his tongue before the world went black.

* * *

 **Cliff-hangers, oh how I love them. Making them of course, not finishing a chapter to find one (I'm looking at you** ** _Consider the Sea Beasts by nauticaa_** ** _s_** **. It's a good read if you like a suffering Sanji, or just brilliant structured One Piece fanfictions in general).**

 **Hope you liked the early chapter and reviews are always welcomed. Flames will be made to burn all the books of twilight with. I don't know if that will _encourage_ flames or not…**

 **I have a challenge for you, what is the translations for the doctor's name.**

 **try to resist the urge to google translate it please.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

 **~MossyDrake**


	5. Calm Before the Storm

**I'm baaack! For all you poor bastards who read this crap, I may be going to hell for writing this but I'm taking you all with me! Hope you enjoy.**

 **MossyDrake.**

* * *

 **My beta thought it would be a bright idea to add in a conversation between us before the new chapter like I'm a common little pet who rips her precious carpet. Hope you find amusement in my suffering and embarrassment.**

 _ **Well if you ask me you need some public humiliation to learn.**_

 **But Grovisionnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn I don't wanna be humiliated in front of readers.**

 _ **Oh my -! I have to beta this conversation? No (previous, obviously) capital letter for your nickname of my penname?**_

 **Heh heh.**

 _ **... "Tweaks" you said. That you assured me you could handle yourself.**_

 **It wasn't that bad...**

 _ **I was ashamed to be called your beta for a while.**_

 **Aww, you don't mean that. I know you wuv me.**

 _ **... I'm leaving that one there. And let**_ **me** _ **assure**_ **you** _ **that I was.**_

 **Well we shouldn't bore our faithful readers with idle chit-chat.**

 _ **Oh so it's "our" now.**_

 **Well you do help... Anyway! On with the show!**

 _ **Please, do enjoy this properly fixed chapter. Also, if any of you were as pained as me at the last chapter, I have now fixed that.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Sanji caught the man before he hit the ground, wincing when it put strain on his injuries but ignoring it in favour of helping his kin.

"You're making a habit of this, Mosshead," Sanji murmurs as walks past the doctor and puts the moron on the bed. Getting an ironic sense of Deja-vu, usually it was Zoro putting him on the bead, or futon…almost always the floor. He quickly walks around the very pretty doctor and it took all of his restraint not to comment on how beautiful her eyes were; a shade of gold that rivalled the shine of a dragon's hoard. Drawing his eyes away from her tempting golden orbs, Sanji's eyes slowly lower themselves downward, widening when he caught sight of a purple mark.

 _Oh fuck him on a North Blue cheese day, fate just liked to screw with him doesn't she? If he ever met lady fate he would probably want to kick her. But he won't because she is a lady._

On her very… _bestowed_ chest there was the mark of the Whitebeard-fucking-Pirates, in all its purple glory. Of all the –

Turning to the man who brought him here, Sanji notices that he is looking at them strangely. Figuring that he wants something from them Sanji glares, pulling back his teeth in a very Zoro-like way. "What?!"

Ace didn't look very frightened. In fact he looked at the duo like one would look at a wounded animal; cautious, curious and wary.

"It's just you and your friend have the marks of fighting slaves…" At Sanji's startled expression he quickly went on obviously not wanting to anger him, "I mean that very little people escape the cage, some don't even want to. You have obviously fought since you were young – in two blues none the less. Yet your mannerisms and behaviour is… It's human," Ace said the last part with such sadness it made Sanji suspect that he was talking from personal experience of witnessing a Cage Coronation. Weighing his options Sanji slowly walks up to the man until they stand face to face.

"Your doctor, is she competent enough to treat a half human?" Sanji asks, staring at the man's face to read any tells that say he is lying. "Don't worry he's not _feral_ as you would say. No matter what he did before we came." The last part was aimed at the doctor, reassuring her that the injured party would be of no harm to her.

"Only if she knows what the other half is," Ace confirms without missing a beat, face calm and eyes honest. Sanji had to give the guy credit – he was brave. However, bravery is just a kind word for stupid. He should know as the Mosshead is the embodiment of said psychological defect.

"Half-demon," Sanji says, watching for the fear and prejudice that usually overtakes a person's face when they find out what his brother is, although he was pleasantly surprised when the man just nods taking in the information.

"I'm surprised," Sanji murmurs still looking into chocolate brown eyes. "Most people would have tried to kill, sell or steal him." Turning away Sanji sits on the bed opposite of him leaving Ace to his thoughts and staring at the doctor, not missing a movement as she examines and cleans his brother's wounds. Sanji smirked slightly to himself, blood loss always was the best anaesthetic. Speaking of which…

"Hey Doc," Sanji called out to catch the nice doctor's attention while she was washing her hands. When she looked at him questionably Sanji decided to ask, he hasn't been near any doctors who had a degree in medical science after all, only scientists.

"Does it count as blood loss when you're internally bleeding?" Ace narrowed his eyes at Sanji, suspicious but unclear what exactly he was suspicious of in the seemingly random question. The Doctor seemed surprised but shrugged apparently deciding to humour him.

"Some doctors have different views on this but I personally believe that internal bleeding counts as blood loss because the blood escapes the artery or vein, just like external wounds. Internal bleeding occurs in many areas of the body and can cause significant local inflammation and pain. If enough bleeding occurs, signs of shock may be apparent. All these symptoms also reflect external bleeding."

Sanji is overwhelmed with the slew of information, confused and a little frightened because the nice doctor now has a not-quite-sane look in her golden eyes.

Ace, sensing Sanji's wariness, decided to save him. "Come on doc, stop scaring the poor guy. Besides I gotta take him to Oyaji." At Sanji's look Ace quickly continued, "Nothing bad I swear, just simple questions and maybe some food – we have a great chef here. But don't tell that bastard I said that." As Ace looked at Sanji from head to toe, Sanji was careful to mask his unease under the scrutiny. "But first I gotta get you something to wear…maybe Marco has some things that fit." With a gleam in his eye that rivalled the doctor's in terms of inducing fear, Ace ushers Sanji out of the infirmary and around the ship. Quickly memorising the route just in case, Sanji let the strange man push him into a room and look around drawers that obviously aren't his.

Sanji looks around the room and is surprised at the organised mess that it was in. It looked like it belonged to someone relatively intelligent and with only one bed; that meant someone important. With these types of big crew ships Sanji guessed a navigator but there aren't any treasury forms as well as maps. That made no sense because no matter how easy going Ace was he couldn't trust an unknown near so much exploitable information. Maybe it belonged to one of the commanders that the Whitebeards are famous for.

Sanji is startled out of his thoughts when he hears a loud 'Aha!'

Looking at Ace, Sanji sees that he is holding brown trousers and a deep purple shirt that only had buttons halfway up. With a sigh Sanji takes the blanket off and (ignoring Aces staring – he was desensitised to it by now) after putting the clothes on he finds that they are a bit too big for him and that means that most of his scarred chest and his mark was shown.

"Does your crew know what this mark means?" Sanji asks knowing that there was no way out.

"Only the commanders and creature crew."

Sanji isn't shocked at the fact that the Whitebeard pirates have creature crew members, after all it had brought strength and reputation to the Whitebeard pirates.

With a sigh Sanji walks to the door and waits for Ace to lead the way to the deck. "Well looks like I'm going to meet the infamous Whitebeard. Lucky me." With no enthusiasm Sanji followed Ace, memorising the way there.

When they reached the stairway Sanji couldn't help but feel trepidation. With his luck this is going to go very, _very_ bad.


	6. Dark Past, Angry Present

**The chapters following this will also be longer now that I have those pesky intro chapters posted! Anyway hope you enjoy and as always give love to Charizgrovsion who made this chapter (and story) possible.**

 _ **Why thank you.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own one piece, I'm still not that cool.**

* * *

 **Sanji's P.O.V**

Walking out the door that separates the stairway and the deck, I couldn't help but begin scrunching my hands into the pockets of the shirt and hunching down, trying to make myself look smaller, suddenly feeling very insecure. Looking around, I see the curious gazes of the Whitebeard Pirates and suddenly feeling a spark of defiance, I glare at them, watching in satisfaction as most flinched and turn away. I looked back in front of me to see Ace staring at me in amusement at the top of the stairs that separates the lower deck from Whitebeard's platform. Hastily jogging up to him, I gave a sheepish smile, feeling more comfortable with Ace than anyone else I had met on the ship.

Looking away from Ace, I glance at the captain and do a double-take when I notice his sheer size.

 _He sure looked a lot smaller when I was delirious with pain and panic._

The man seemed to notice my surprise as he let loose a booming laugh. "Gurarara! Kid, you sure are ballsy to glare at my crew. Mind explainin' how you and your green haired friend currently mooching off of my infirmary came to be here?"

I froze, not knowing what to say. I remember what had happened and all the experiences I had been through and the captain's reaction to said information was an unknown variable to me, instinctively making me wary of the man.

"How would I know your reaction to the information you currently want? Like you said, my brother and I are not part of your crew, so trust isn't very high on my expectations of you at this particular moment." Well that isn't very true – for some weird reason I'm very calm with Ace and the pompadour haired man.

"You don't really have much of a choice," he replies gravelly, "What other place do you have to go?"

I'm staring at the ground in frustration now. He was right.

"Hey," the soft call comes from Ace. "You trusted us to bring you here right?"

"Why would we bring you to a dangerous place?" the pompadour joins in.

A hand came into my peripheral view, heading for my shoulder. My breathing hitches slightly as I begin leaning away from it. The limb freezes and is removed from my line of sight. "You can trust us, honest," says the fire guy with that shitty smile again.

I sigh. "Fine, but it's not a pretty story…"

* * *

 _There was blood on my hands again. I stared at it in a daze while I waited for my buyer to collect me. Some was congealing under my fingernails._

 _The harsh screech of the rusted cage door scraping across the stone floor startled my gaze from the thick liquid to the large man that now stood at the exit. "Get up." I wordlessly did as commanded and followed him through the tunnels until we were climbing upwards to fresh air._

 _Outside in a dirty, reeking and deserted alley in the city we were currently in, I was temporarily blinded by the sunlight peeking over the piping on a nearby rooftop. My buyer led me to the edge of the city, where it joined the forest._

 _I couldn't take my thoughts away from what my life had become. I was forced to hurt so many people, I was injured daily with the wounds having almost no time to heal before the next one was inflicted, I was being_ starved _._

 _My feet had stopped crunching over the leaves and my buyer made it evident that he didn't like the fact I had ceased following his lumbering frame. A fist solidly collided with my face, throwing me back. "What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled, picking me up and slamming my back into a tree. A grunt slipped past my lips and my hands latched onto his surprisingly thin wrist._

 _Demeaning._

 _"_ _You obey me, and only me! So do as I say!" His breath stank of alcohol._

 _Disgusting._

 _The fact that I was being domineered by a drunkard who spent all of the money he gained from my purchase on cheap drink set something off inside of me. Next thing I knew, was that I was snarling in this bastard's ugly face. Missing teeth, pointed nose, scraggly beard – downright vile._

 _He didn't like my action and growled at me, increasing the pressure on my neck. "You are only a beast I purchased for my gain! I am your Master!"_

 _That did it. I bitterly laughed in my mind. He wanted a beast? He could have one._

 _Without any more ado I transformed and swiped at his bulging stomach. To my great surprise he sprang back, showing amazing agility for his size and drunken state. I followed, charging after him. He whipped out one of the guns at his hip, firing directly at my face. Ducking, I changed tactics, swinging around a tree and leaping at his side. A spinning fist knocked me off course but I did not stop rolling after my impromptu meeting with the dirt, dodging the wild bullets._

 _I stood and glared when he stopped, switching guns. A short second of stillness, then we both roared, one primal and furious, one guttural and filled with rage._

 _A bullet punched through the thinnest section of my tail before I swept the gun from his hand. My claws sank into his torso and through fat, burying themselves in his slimy intestines. He was screaming now, but I didn't care. Nothing but a mass of scaly fury at the one who had further ruined my existence, I shot flames at his open mouth._

 _…_

 _There was still blood on my claws when they found me. People from the slave rings. I fought them too, but was exhausted. The blood didn't bother me as I stared at it in my new cage. This was good blood from a horrible human. It was good because I had spilled it in vengeance._

* * *

 **3rd person P.O.V**

Luffy bounds down the hall, curious about the green haired guy that came in with the cool dragon guy.

Arriving at the doorway to the infirmary, he launches himself through it, but soon after slides to the floor when his face collides with the suddenly closed door. "Mmph!"

The door opens once more with a whoosh of air, Doctor Kurietia Shinku in the frame. She glares at the interruption to her work. "What do you think you are doing Luffy?"

His face pops up from the wooden floor. "I want to see the new guy!" he exclaims with a large grin.

"No," she replies flatly. "And he's not the new guy – he's just a stray the two douchebags picked up."

Luffy instantly understood who she meant, knowing the two douchebags prank _everyone_ , earning their nickname. Luffy, not being one to give up, suddenly grins wider, making the poor woman uncomfortable. "Shishishishi! Well I'll just tell Izou about your little crush, who will gossip it around this ship faster than the cold travels on a winter island!"

Shinku sighed, dropping her head in defeat against the little rubbery fucker. "Fine, but! If you tell anyone anything –" she suddenly had a demonic look in her eyes, shadows appearing around her figure and making her seem bigger and her tall stature easily making her tower over Luffy "- I'll have you by the _balls_."

Knowing that if he spoke any longer, her considerably large tolerance would run dry, he rushes past her and into the infirmary just as the doors close, remembering _last time_. Walking away to get a nurse, Shinku catches the tail-end of a sentence: "We are going to be great friends!" She shudders.

 _This ship is going to be turned upside down._

* * *

 **Ace's P.O.V**

There is silence on the deck of the Moby Dick. I myself feel a trickle of dread travelling down my spine.

"- and that was only the beginning, so all of you who don't enjoy stuff above PG, I suggest you stop listening," Sanji bitterly finishes for the time being. Even I could see the shame and resentment of what happened in his past in his noticeable clenching of teeth and the narrowing of his eyes.

I was worried when I saw drops of blood dripping from his clenched fist, but right now those details were white noise in the back of my head. My thoughts narrow in on the description of the – I sneer – _buyer_. Apparently Whitebeard noticed it too. I snapped out of my musing at my captain's dark voice.

"Did this man ever tell you his name?"

I looked to Sanji worriedly, having only heard that tone twice in his days on the Moby Dick. I could only watch as Sanji's defences went up, knowing that the fate of him and his brother depended on what he said next.

"No, but I heard one of the gatekeepers say his name was Teach."

"Oh _shit_ ," I hissed, "Marshall what have you done?"

"I share your sentiments." I jumped when Thatch mysteriously appeared behind me. "I'm worried about the kid Ace, with the look Whitebeard's currently sporting, I don't think he's taking the news well. We all knew Marshall was a little shady, but you know how Oyaji is with us sons."

I was about to reply but was cut off by the loud bang of Whitebeard's staff connecting with the deck of the ship and breaking it. The shadow of his bandanna obscured Whitebeard's eyes, making the sharp edges of his jaw and chin stand out. He towered over Sanji with a look of pure, unadulterated rage, but there were no tremors wracking his frame, he stood tall and proud, a truly intimidating sight to see.

Then he swung his staff, directing a shockwave in Sanji's direction. The air crackles and the ship rocks wildly with the waves as Thatch and I were diving out of range. I hear a startled yelp and look back in time to see the blond jump backwards. Oyaji pursued him, still swinging his staff at his slight figure.

 _How the hell is he doing that in his condition?!_

Sanji is ducking and avoiding every infuriated swing before Whitebeard changes tactics. Our captain sends one last swing in the boy's general area, and seeing him leap back in response, I feel the sense of dread increase exponentially. I had seen this strategy before.

Oyaji slams his staff onto the deck again just as Sanji touches down. He is sent flying back and crashes into the mast behind our captain's chair.

Whitebeard doesn't stop. He walks slowly towards where the blond lay, each step being punctuated by a crack. Sanji holds his middle as he sits up, rolling forward onto his knees and other hand, staring at Oyaji before looking back down.

I was going to call out but the sounds of ripping clothes and feral snarling filled the air, battling the crackling in volume. Whitebeard paused and took in the dragon we were all seeing. Then the two clashed. The dragon – _Sanji_ – charges but changes course at the last second when our captain swings his staff, pouncing on Whitebeard's exposed side instead and knocking him over. A massive elbow connects with the beast's shoulder and he tumbles off of Oyaji.

Even then it doesn't stop. Whitebeard just regains his footing and uses his staff like a bat, crashing it into Sanji's side. Luckily it was only a graze as Sanji scuttled backwards from the strike, but the seismic wave had evidently dazed him a bit.

Whitebeard was charging at him, weapon raised high, when Sanji shot flames at him. I heard a yell from Oyaji, then another as the dragon tore through his muscular bicep with his claws. It wasn't deep, but it would leave another scar, I dimly noted as Thatch and I kept the rest of the crew at bay with difficulty.

The fierce fight ended when claws met staff and a _boom_ resonated across deck. Whitebeard stumbled back and Sanji was sprawled on the deck on his side.

Then Oyaji's fist rose into the air. I was gaping – it had gone too far. He couldn't kill him! Sanji is just dazed and lying on the wood in an exhausted state. I turned to fire and placed myself in between the punch and downed dragon. "Oyaji _stop_!"


	7. Feralised

Heya ma loyal bitches! Eh...sorry I'm late on the update, lots of things were going on and I lost interest and motivation on this for a while, still have.

So for the next three Saturdays I'll post one chapter for this fanfiction and if I've found more motivation I'll continue until it's down but if I still don't like this story it will be on hiatus indefinitely.

Also my beta is going to slowly kill me over a vat of boiling oil for this as she couldn't find Zoro because he was lost again.

Soooo, yea. On the plus side I'll be starting irregular one shots for fanfictions every week, which my charming and lovely Beta will look through to make them semi readable to you! If you have any ideas PM me!

I do not own One Piece, which belongs to Eiichiro Oda, our creative and wise leader… Furthermore- to the more hard core cannon-loving fans - this is a fanfiction, so in other words: I thinkith it, I writith it so thou shall sufferith through it, my loyal Ewe's.

As always, reviews are welcome, flames will be used to fuel my apathy towards the human race. Enjoy!

Third Person P.O.V

What felt like hours after the man left, the temperature of the cell began to drop rapidly, leaving the cold blooded dragon shivering on the stone floor. While he could normally regulate body temperature by heating up his bones, it took time and energy that he did not have. Breathing fire was also out of the question as he didn't want to die due to a lack of nutrients which were typically burned when he breathed fire.

He was never going to do that again

The barred porthole couldn't show him what time it was as all he could see was the ocean, Sanji wondered if it was for decorating of a scare tactic, knowing that there was a way to fill up the basement of the ship with the prisoners inside was a way to make prisoners talk, sound of waves crashing against the hull of the ship didn't tell him anything about how long he was here either.

Curling into himself in a ball in search of warmth Sanji absently pondered on his current situation. Would Whitebeard kill him and Zoro for reasons currently unexplained? Did Ace and Thatch lie to him, telling false promises in the hopes of acquiring an injured dragon and half demon? But if that was the case, how did they know that Zoro was a demon? Was there a way to know if someone was demonic?

Before he could ponder further on his situation, the dungeon walls are flooded with light, sourcing from the door. Curling into himself further Sanji expanded the fins on his sides and let out a threatening hiss.

"Shut up shitty dragon, I'm hurt that you have forgotten me that easily," he heard the familiar sound of the dulcet tones of Zoro say before seeing him stand in front of the cell bars, Ace and Marco standing at his side. Sanji snorts despite himself, trust Zoro to be a snarky ass while his life is on the line.

"Don't give me that, bastard. Their _captain_ wants us on deck," Zoro informs, stressing the word 'captain' with such force Sanji was convinced that he was meant to say something else. Even with that small amount of amusement Sanji couldn't help the bitter resentment for these bastards that crawls through his veins. Oh joy – a public execution, just the way he wanted his life to end, in a pathetic display of power over two non-humans for a crime they did not know they committed.

Walking out of the cell, the four continued on to the main deck in silence. The further in they went the more the sounds of the crew fluttered over them, though to Sanji it was nothing but white noise.

Reaching the doors to the main deck Sanji couldn't help the feeling of deja-vu at the familiar setting, only instead of hope of finally being free, a feeling of hopeless dread slithers through Sanji's mind. In his current state Sanji couldn't swim very fast, especially not fast enough to lose the Fishmen Sanji saw earlier.

A glance back from Ace is all the warning they receive before the doors open, bright sunlight briefly searing their retinas before they manage to blink and adjust. As the two Whitebeard Pirate commanders begin walking, Zoro and Sanji share a look. Evidently finding the same emotions reflecting back at each other, a brief smirk from the humanoid of the pair and blink from the draconid was the only outward sign of acceptance of their fate. Together they turn and step after the two devil fruit users.

Once his eyes adapted to the light, Sanji could see crowds of Whitebeard Pirates looking either nervous, excited, or looking on in anticipation for what to come. Something that even Sanji didn't know as the two shitty pirates who were leading them on to their probable death hadn't said a goddamn word.

Climbing the stairs, Sanji thought he saw the rest of the Whitebeard commanders accompanied by other powerful pirates in neat little rows leading up to just short of five feet to Whitebeard's throne. Sanji couldn't help the snort of amusement – they looked more like marines than pirates. However just as they got a few feet in front of the steps leading to Whitebeard's throne, Sanji saw movement out of the corner of this eye. Yet before he could react in his weakened state, a burly Whitebeard Pirate appeared in front of him. He didn't look like much, rather stereotypical for a pirate: yellow teeth, bloated belly and a white T-shirt. Sanji saw Thatch step forward from his position with a confused expression, but before he could wonder why, the man leapt forward with surprising speed and kicked him in the jaw, leaving him stunned, and proceeded to jab something into his side. For a frightening moment, Sanji could feel his instinct taking over before everything became red.

Third person P.O.V

The occupants on the top part of the deck froze at the low growling sound that emitted from the dragon's throat seconds after something was injected into him. Marco turns towards the Whitebeard Pirate with a now empty syringe. "What the hell did you just do yoi?"

The man laughs manically, "Haha…ha...HAHAHAHA! You idiots, should'a just believed what the fuckin' lizard said. Now you'll all be flayin' alive, cuz a' yer stupid arrogance. Enjoy!" The last few sentences were aimed at Whitebeard and before anyone could get a hold of him, he brought out a gun and shot at the dragon before shooting himself in the head.

Before anyone could react to the sudden display of insanity, the dragon seems to shake himself before bearing his teeth aggressively.

Zoro's P.O.V

Looking at the corpse of the man that injected something into my brother, I was confused at the rather feral sounding growl behind me as both Ace and Sanji fell behind when we were walking up to Whitebeard. Staring at Sanji, I recognised nothing humane within my brother and that the feral sound came from him, and at that moment I could compare the sound to that of an angry Seaking. The shift in his muscles alerted me that he was about to attack, and just as he leapt off the ground with a terrifying roar I quickly broke the chains off of my wrists with a quick jerk. Unfortunately the shackles stayed on.

Meeting him halfway, I threw a wide punch at his underbelly and was shocked at the volume of blood that came out of his maw after he landed on the deck.

Sanji unsuccessfully tried to get to his feet but kept collapsing, more blood being coughed up and splattering onto the wood. The sound of gurgling was heard before he passed out. Worried and very concerned, I rushed over to my long-time brother-in-arms to see what was wrong, noticing that his breathing was getting weaker and shallower. I sensed an oncoming figure approach and turned to see the figure of Thatch kneeling beside me.

Panting, I stared at the man for a few seconds before growling.

"It was one of yours who did this, No Blame."

Then all went black.


End file.
